1. Field of the Disclosure
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to an assembling structure for wheel and hub of an electric bicycle, and more particularly to an assembling structure for wheel and hub of an electric bicycle capable of firmly assembling a hub and a wheel by separately manufacturing the hub embedded with a motor and a transmission gear box from the wheel.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A typical bicycle has two wheels and a pair of rotatable pedals, and is propelled by a rider via the pedals. Due to the levels of physical exertion required, such bicycles are typically used to travel only short distances.
Bicycles have been a form of transportation for many years and in some countries, the main mode of transportation. In more recent times, bicycles have been equipped with means to reduce the amount of energy required by the rider to propel the bicycle, such as by adding electric drives.
Prior art electric drives for bicycles can be divided into various categories such as a friction drive on the bicycle wheel; an electric through the pedal shaft to the rear wheel; an electric through the chain to the rear wheel; an electric drive through a freewheeling sprocket (chain or gear); a direct drive to the rear wheel; or a wheel hub motor. While electric vehicles may be gaining in popularity, many aspects of electric vehicle technology still may carry drawbacks capable of improvement.
While transmissions (changing the ratio of motor to wheel revolutions) may be effective at adapting a motor to varying torque requirements, they often may require more mechanical devices to provide the variable coupling and thus may require a shifting mechanism. Such a system may be relatively complex and mechanical in design.
Recently, a method of embedding a motor and a transmission gear box (hereinafter referred to simply as “transmission”) in a hub forming a front wheel axel or a rear wheel axle has been proposed.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration in which a hub and a wheel are integrally manufactured according to prior art.
A hub (1) accommodates a motor and/or a transmission therein and is protruded at one side thereof with a rotation shaft (30). The rotation shaft (30) is connected to a frame (not shown) to rotate the hub (1) and a wheel (2) in association with rotation of the motor, whereby a bicycle can be moved.
Meantime, one side of the hub (1) may be coupled with a disc panel (not shown), which is a device for generating a braking power using a hydraulic pressure disc pad (not shown). The disc panel may use a drum braking method, or may use a wire strength braking method.
The hub (1) generally accommodates a motor for generating a rotary power by an electromagnetic interaction, and a transmission, and is made of a metal, particularly aluminum, for quickly transmitting a heat. The wheel (2) is generally formed with the same material as that of hub, which however creates a disadvantage of increasing an overall weight of wheels that generates power. In this case, the increased weight goes against the current trend that puts an external look ahead of everything, and may create a problem of replacing an entire part if the wheel is damaged.
It would be beneficial to have an electric bicycle that is relatively simple, is small and light enough in weight to be highly portable, and has a useful range of travel between required battery charges.